Houston Rockets draft preview: Best options outside the top three picks

Cam Whitmore #22 of the Villanova Wildcats dunks the ball against the Georgetown Hoyas at Finneran Pavilion on January 16, 2023 in Villanova, Pennsylvania.A third straight season in the Western Conference cellar has placed the Houston Rockets at the top of the NBA draft lottery for the third straight season. But while Tilman Fertitta's prayers could very well be answered on May 16, Houston's brass needs to prepare for a relatively worst-case scenario: not just missing out on Victor Wembanyama, but falling out of the top three in the 2023 draft altogether.

Assessing the Rockets' lottery landscape is a relatively simple exercise just one week away from perhaps the most anticipated moment of…